Break-ups cause most holiday cancellations

By IT section newsdesk

Published Thursday, October 23, 2008

Customer statistics from online travel agent Sunshine.co.uk show that the No 1 reason for holiday cancellations is relationship break-ups, with 12 per cent of couples that book a romantic break do not end up so much as boarding the plane together.

ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) estimates that £96m is wasted on non-refundable deposits in the UK every year, with top reasons for canceling a holiday including separation, family bereavement and illness, and even the death of a pet, the poll of 2364 vacationers found. Nearly 2.1 per cent of holidays booked in the UK are eventually cancelled, according to the travel agents.

Over a third of people that split from their partner before their holiday end-up changing the name on the booking to include a friend, rather than go alone, according to the research.

The top ten cancellation reasons in full are:

Separation/divorce.

Illness/injury.

Finances.

Family bereavement.

Extreme weather.

Phobias.

War in destination country/Foreign Office warning.

Unforeseen work commitments.

No longer wished to go.

Death of a pet.

The problem may only get worse, warns Chris Clarkson, marketing director at Sunshine.co.uk, as high street holiday companies continue to encourage holiday makers to book well in advance in order to get better deals, thus increasing the chances of changes needing to be made to the booking that some companies will then charge for, to make a greater profit.